Approvals required for construction of a house in Kenya

Approval requirement for construction in Kenya depends on the type of house one wants to build. The requirements for bungalow, mansion, Airbnb and apartment are different. Approval for a bungalow is the easiest, followed by mansion.

The first thing to do is to obtain a plan from an Architect. For a Bungalow, you will spend Ksh 20,000 to Ksh 100,000.For a mansion, the price goes up to Ksh 200,000.

 Thereafter, start the approval process.

Here are approvals required

• NEMA

You are required to be approved by NEMA.The cost ranges between Ksh 20,000 and Ksh 70,000 depending on the type of a structure.

• NCA

National Construction Authority (NCA) should also approve your plan. The cost ranges between Ksh 30,000 and Ksh 50,000

• Architectural plan

The one designing your plan should give you approved certificate. This is the one to present to your county approval office. The Architect might approve for free or ask for money usually in the range of Ksh 5,000 and Ksh 10,000.

If the one that designed the plan is not available, look for any other qualified architect to approve it.He will charge you Ksh 5,000 to Ksh 10,000.

• Structural plan

You should also present a structural plan for approval. This is done by a Structural Engineer. You will pay Ksh 5,000 to Ksh 30,000 for approval.

• Bill of Quantity

You should also provide bill of quantity which can be prepared by the structural engineer. They will charge you Ksh 20,000 to Ksh 100,000 depending on the size of the house.

• Approval by the County

After getting those documents, then proceed to the County for approval. County Government will charge you Ksh 20,000 to Ksh 100,000 depending on Specific County. Nairobi County will charge more than Ksh 70,000.Nakuru more than Ksh 60,000 and Mombasa more than Ksh 60,000.

Preparing the documents and approval process takes 1-4 months. It’s not an easy work especially in major cities. If you have a plan, start as early as possible and don’t use shortcuts to get fake approvals.

In case you start constructing your house without approval, NCA will fine you not less than Ksh 150,000.NEMA and County officers will also fine you heavily. By the time you finish building, you’ll have spent Ksh 400,000 and above on fines.

For a bungalow house, you need Ksh 50,000 to Ksh 120,000 for approval. For a mansion, you will need Ksh 150,000 to Ksh 200,000 for the entire approval process. For an apartment, you need Ksh 200,000 to Ksh 500,000.For Airbnb you will spend over Ksh 200,000 for approval.

If you are constructing a house in the village,you may not need all these approvals–you will only get approval from the County offices and health.But if you are building in a city,all those approvals are required.